Computing
There is no stand alone course in computing, but computers are used across the curriculum. Google Classroom is used across the secondary phase to manage and organise pupils’ learning in all subject areas, incorporating classwork tasks, homework tasks, the sharing of information and learning materials, as well as communication. Secondary staff and pupils became adept at using Google Classroom during remote learning (due to the recent pandemic-related school closures) and the school has continued to engage with this platform. Computing at the secondary phase aims to build upon and further develop skills and knowledge gained through the primary phase computing curriculum.
Online research is used in a range of secondary phase subject areas and pupils are taught how to recognise appropriate sources in order to access the most relevant, authentic and accurate source material. For example, speeches, photographs and cartoons in history and artists research and mood boards in art. Pupils learn a range of digital photo-editing strategies and are taught effective file management, for example, the uploading and organising of digital photographs in art.
Pupils use spreadsheets when creating graphs and charts; slides for presentations; GIS when studying data, for example in geography. Pupils are taught word processing and to format texts correctly for a given purpose, for example, tab stop to show a new paragraph, alignment of text, etc. Pupils are taught how to use font styles and colour for effect and how to use images and incorporate links to other media within Slides/Docs. They also learn how to save their first draft and edit in order to show improvements.
Collaborative working takes place using a range of Google functions: including Documents for collaborative planning and Slides for the development and presentation of group work, including visual aids, ie. images, graphs and the presentation of statistics and tables.
Pupils have access to a range of online revision and retrieval materials, for example, Seneca Learning, Quizlet, Blooket, Kahoot!, Time for Geography, Internet Geography, Kerboodle.
Online safety is of paramount importance and is ever evolving. Pupils are explicitly taught about online safety during PSHE lessons and whole school assemblies and are implicitly taught about issues of online safety across other curriculum areas and through pastoral care.